iOS

Nuance Communications is today releasing an updated version of its popular Swype Keyboard for Android, “the world’s most powerful keyboard,” which includes an all-new Swype Store with additional premium themes as well as an emoji keyboard. Swype is a popular alternative to the default Android keyboard due in part to its many customization options, like the ability to change the keyboard’s overall layout, key sizes, and a bunch more.
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Facebook Moments now automatically creates movies from your photos

Tom Maxwell Aug 25 2015 - 11:26 am PT

Facebook Moments, the app for exchanging photos amongst friends who all find themselves at the same place at the same time (i.e. at a party), has been updated with a neat new way to relive a moment in the past.

Twitter takes on messaging apps by removing 140 character limit from Direct Messages

Mark Gurman Aug 12 2015 - 10:21 am PT

Twitter is getting serious about messaging today. The social network has begun rolling out updates to its iOS, Mac, and Android apps, in addition to TweetDeck and its website, that remove the long-existing 140 character limit from individual direct messages. This change will roll out over the course of the next few weeks, so all users may not see the change immediately. The old 140 character limit for messages will remain for Tweets sent publicly and direct messages sent via SMS.

Snapchat 9.14 adds even more emoji to your snaps, conserves cellular data, more

Tom Maxwell Aug 11 2015 - 10:35 am PT

The popular messaging app Snapchat has received a new update for Android which includes both some fun changes in the form of a new emoji button, as well as some more utilitarian changes that will help save cellular data if you’re capped or traveling internationally…

Latest comScore data shows iOS continuing to gain on Android in US market

Tom Maxwell Aug 7 2015 - 1:12 pm PT

Research firm comScore today released its report on United States smartphone subscriber market share for the three month period ending in June. The report, released monthly, tracks the rankings of the top smartphone OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and operating systems by consumer adoption. Month-to-month fluctuations in market share aren’t often major, but the data gives us more context around how the top players are doing as we eek towards the 2015 holiday season.

Google Maps v4.9 for iOS brings new night mode, ability to label custom places

Tom Maxwell Aug 7 2015 - 12:33 pm PT

iOS users of Google Maps just got some new functionality that has been in the Android version for some time now. Version 4.9 (iTunes link) brings a new night mode as well as the ability to label custom places so they can be easily found on the map and in search.

Night mode does something pretty common amongst dedicated GPS navigation units: It darkens the maps on-screen while you’re navigating somewhere. The reason this matters is because distracted driving is one of the biggest causes of driving-related accidents, and the white glow of a smartphone screen directed at ones face at nighttime can most definitely make it difficult to see what’s in view of the vehicle.

The other notable addition to come with this update is the ability to label places on the map that aren’t already in Google’s own database of places and points of interest. It’s already possible for anyone to add new places to the map through the iOS app, but these were only for public places and, if approved, would be seen by everyone using the app. The new labels are private, intended to make it easier to find and navigate to places that matter to you.

Google Maps for Android already has these features, but for iOS users who still cannot stand Apple’s own mapping product, they’re surely a welcome addition.

Report: Android device fragmentation has increased 28% over last year

Tom Maxwell Aug 5 2015 - 9:40 am PT

Android is notorious in the developer community for its rampant fragmentation. Developing an app for Google’s platform means wrestling to make the app work optimally on the ecosystem of thousands of devices in different shapes and sizes. And according to a new report out today giving us a look at the state of Android fragmentation as of this month, August 2015, there’s both some bad and good news: There are more devices than ever before, but fewer users that are spread out across different operating system versions.

Google axes editing of Docs on mobile web, presenting install banners for multiple file types

Tom Maxwell Jul 27 2015 - 3:33 pm PT

Google Drive for the mobile web has always restricted editing to just Docs files — attempting to edit Sheets or Slides files required downloading the Google Drive app for iOS or Android. That changes today. No, you won’t be able to edit Sheets or Slides files now, but rather Google is also killing off the editing capabilities in Docs for mobile web.

The change makes total sense, if for consistency at the very least. But Google says it’s because the Drive native mobile app is “easier to use and offers more robust functionality.” Native apps typically have more access to the hardware and system-level software capabilities of the devices they’re installed on than web apps, and since they are downloaded directly onto the device, much of the boilerplate user interface doesn’t have to be loaded from the Internet each time the user goes to use them.

From now on, when a Drive user opens a Docs, Sheets, or Slides document from the mobile web, they’ll be presented with one of Google’s new app install banners that make it easy to launch or download the native app, and then be taken directly to the file they were initially viewing in the browser. Tapping the pencil icon in the top right will also trigger the banner to appear.

The user interface across the mobile web viewers for the three aforementioned editing tools have also been cleaned up to create a more consistent experience, which is nice.

Chrome Beta 45 introduces improved media playback controls, timed install banners to Android version

Tom Maxwell Jul 27 2015 - 11:26 am PT

As the Google Chrome web browser and web-based Chrome OS operating system continue on their ever quickening path towards divergence and feature parity with the native Android smartphone operating system, all of which are overseen by Google CEO Larry Page’s number two, Sundar Pichai, Chrome for Android is getting some new functionality that brings it closer to what developers can get out of native apps.

Chrome 44 for iOS brings beacon-powered Physical Web closer to reality, new gestures

Tom Maxwell Jul 22 2015 - 11:51 am PT

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The Physical Web is an open source web specification from Google released last year with the aim to make interacting with smart devices in the real world as easy as clicking a link, just as we do on the web. Now with the company having released its Eddystone beacon technology and APIs for making this communication between devices in the same proximity easier, it’s integrating Physical Web directly into Chrome for iOS.

Pebble Time now available at Best Buy, coming to Target next month

Stephen Hall Jul 20 2015 - 11:45 am PT

Pebble Time - Awesome Smartwatch, No Compromises by Pebble Technology — Kickstarter 2015-02-24 08-58-47

The original Pebble Time renders…

Update: It looks like you can also snag the Pebble Time from Amazon now, too.

If you’re not a huge fan of platform-segregated accessories, you’re probably also the kind of person that would go for a Pebble smartwatch over the likes of the Android-only Moto 360 or the iOS-only Apple Watch. And if you’re that kind of person and haven’t yet grabbed the new smartwatch-with-a-color-ePaper-display, you now have a couple more retail outlets to pick from.
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Dozens of popular apps found ‘vulnerable to password cracking’

Cam Bunton Jul 17 2015 - 9:15 am PT

Popular iOS and Android apps from companies like Walmart, ESPN, Slack and SoundCloud have been found vulnerable to password cracking, according to a recent report from AppBugs. The security firm found that dozens of the most popular apps are lacking, in that they allow you to make any number of attempts to login without restriction. These clearly opens up a gap for attackers who have the means to guess those passwords and gain access to your accounts.

Google releases ‘Ivy’ app for iOS, an experimental big number calculator

Jordan Kahn Jul 10 2015 - 12:21 pm PT

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Google has quietly launched a new iOS app today called Ivy that it describes as an experimental big number calculator.
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YouTube creating ‘Trusted Tester’ preview program for Creator Studio app

Tom Maxwell Jul 10 2015 - 11:35 am PT

YouTube Creator Studio is YouTube’s app through which creators can manage their accounts on the go. Now the company is creating a “Trusted Tester” program through which passionate Creator Studio users will be able to receive new updates to the app prior to their public release, and in return provide feedback and insights that will help YouTube improve the app.

BlackBerry snaps up Android-related domains, more evidence of a new phone?

Cam Bunton Jul 9 2015 - 3:39 am PT

BlackBerry has snapped up a couple of Android-y domain names very recently. Logs show that BlackBerry Limited bought AndroidSecured.com and AndroidSecured.net on July 7th. This move, of course, adds more fuel to the rumors that the company is planning to launch a Google-powered smartphone in the near future.

Pinterest announces IFTTT & Polyvore apps as first developer platform integrations

Jordan Kahn Jul 8 2015 - 9:42 am PT

After introducing a new developers platform and SDK in May, Pinterest is today announcing a couple of the first integrations developers have come up with starting with popular automation platform IFTTT and community based shopping/fashion site Polyvore.

For IFTTT, the service that lets users automate common web and app-based tasks based on a set of rules known as “recipes”, users will now be able to link products and devices on Pinterest to their automated workflows. The company shared some examples: automatically save Pins to a board from simple actions in other apps such as liking a photo on Instagram, upvoting a post on Reddit or favoriting an item on Etsy. There are more than 20 Recipes to choose from starting today. The Pinterest integration for IFTTT is available through desktop and the service’s mobile apps including Android.

For Polyvore, users can login to the site using their Pinterest account to quickly and easily get access to pinning items from the fashion community/shopping site to Pinterest boards via the company’s iOS app. Support through the Android app, however, is coming soon.

In addition, Pinterest noted that new SDKs and documentation for developers are available to all through the company’s new developers site. The new SDKs give devs access to the Pin It button and JS and OAuth support.

Fallout Shelter slated for August launch on Android, says VP of Marketing

Tom Maxwell Jul 2 2015 - 11:57 am PT

Fallout Shelter, the free-to-play mobile game inspired by the popular ‘Fallout’ franchise, is expected to be launched on Android next month, according to developer Bethesda’s Vice President of Marketing Peter Hines.

In a conversation with a user on Twitter asking about an expected launch date for the game, Hines responded that the game is “coming along nice. haven’t announced a date, but should be out next month. we’ll let you know when we have specifics.”

@kolos_kovacs coming along nice. haven't announced a date, but should be out next month. we'll let you know when we have specifics

— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) July 1, 2015

The game launched for iOS back at E3 last month with Bethesda at the time promising that an Android release was in the works, but didn’t offer much more information than that. The game hasn’t received the most glowing reviews, however, with many across the Internet saying it gets repetitive very fast and serves as not much more than an advertisement for Fallout 4, the next chapter in the Fallout game for desktop and consoles, which is slated for a November 10th launch.

Meerkat continues to fight for live-streaming ubiquity, releases an embeddable player

Tom Maxwell Jun 26 2015 - 11:13 am PT

Meerkat, the mobile live-streaming app that competes with Twitter-owned Periscope, continues to move fast with new products that make its streams more accessible, today releasing an embeddable player.

Embeddable players allow anyone with some basic understanding of how to add HTML to a website to include widget-like objects on their sites. What this means in regards to Meerkat is that anyone who live streams using the company’s mobile app can now have their streams viewable from their own websites. We could, for example, host a 9to5 live stream on Meerkat and include the stream in this very post so you wouldn’t have to download an app to see it.

One of Meerkat’s partners with this launch is Discovery Channel, the media giant behind behind Shark Week, the annual week-long programming block all about, well, sharks. And since Shark Week starts on July 5th, the partnership includes Discovery Channel streaming clips all throughout the week of shark-based festivities from their @SharkWeek Meerkat account and through an embedded player on their website. The new embedded web player looks like this:

The player can be customized before it’s embedded – comments can be shown or hidden, there are three sizing options for the player, and if you’re not live it will show your next upcoming stream if you’ve scheduled one. Otherwise if you haven’t scheduled an upcoming stream it’ll show the stats from your last stream.

Even though competitor Periscope is owned and has its salaries paid by Twitter, who’s public market value is $22 billion, Meerkat has managed to stay nimble and ahead in the race to build out features that expand the potential audience of its streams. The company back in May released a developer platform and API upon which others could build their own Meerkat experiences – maybe a full-screen, leanback experience like YouTube TV, for example. The company also released its Android app ahead of Periscope.

The company has been fighting an uphill battle against Periscope ever since the Twitter-owned product launched, however, even though it had a month head start. In many countries including the United States, Periscope ranks much higher in overall downloads as well as in the social networking category, in both Google Play and Apple’s App Store.

It’s hard to say whether mobile live streaming is a winner-takes-all space, or both can live alongside each other in harmony. Periscope has the benefit of one today being more closely integrated with Twitter’s social network, the best in the world for following real-time news. But at the same time it only has roughly 300 million monthly actives, much less than Facebook and on-par with Instagram. How much of a competitive advantage that may be is uncertain. Only time will tell.

Google Maps for iOS can now send directions from a desktop Google search to your iPhone

Tom Maxwell Jun 8 2015 - 12:51 pm PT

Update: Google has contacted us to clarify how the feature works on iOS devices.

Google Maps for iOS has been updated today to 4.7.0 and includes a neat new feature introduced on Android back in April which allows users to send directions and turn-by-turn navigation to places they find on their desktop to Google Maps on their mobile device, among other things.

The new feature, once enabled properly (you need Google Maps installed and to be signed-in on both devices), works by presenting a “Send to device” prompt in the answer card for places found on Google Maps desktop (pictured above). Clicking “Send to device” presents the user with a choice of which linked device to send the location to, and then triggers a notification on the chosen device with the option to get directions or turn-by-turn navigation to the place.

Two smaller capabilities coming with this update to Maps for iOS are the ability to add or edit the business hours of places, and view all of the reviews and photos you’ve shared of places from the “Your profiles profile. Also included in this update are, of course, the usual “bug fixes.”

Apple shows off new ‘Move to iOS’ app to make it easier to switch from Android

Chance Miller Jun 8 2015 - 12:48 pm PT

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As part of iOS 9, Apple today has announced a new app called Move to iOS that makes the transition from Android to iPhone more seamless for the user. While the app went unannounced during the WWDC keynote, it is listed on the iOS 9 feature page on Apple’s website.

Latest comScore data shows Android remain the top platform with 52% of the market

Chance Miller Jun 5 2015 - 4:13 pm PT

comScore today has released its latest data regarding smartphone market share. The analytics firm says that 188.6 million people owned a smartphone during a three-month period ending in April. That equates to 76.9 percent of the mobile market being made up of smartphones at this point. Apple, according to the data, further strengthened its lead. The company saw a 1.8 percent increase in market share this time around, going from 41.3 percent in January to 43.1 percent in April.

Google introduces Photos app with unlimited photo and video syncing on Android, iOS, and the web

Zac Hall May 28 2015 - 10:56 am PT

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Google has taken the wraps off its new Google Photos product at its I/O conference today. Google says Photos is a private single home for your personal photo and video collection that you can access from any device. Photos boasts the ability to automatically organize your photos for you as well as built-in sharing capabilities.
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Goo.gl short links can now link to apps that a user has installed

Stephen Hall May 27 2015 - 3:18 pm PT